Even Hunters Deserve A Vacation (SPN, Dean)

[Wolfwings22]

I’ve been a little MIA lately but I was finishing up getting my Bachelor’s Degree and starting work full time as well as having a part time job on the weekends, so I’ve been spread a little thin as of late. However, I’ve found some meager time to use to write and although Supernatural has been over for a while now, I can’t seem to stop writing about my favorite brothers. So, here is a Dean fic with a caring!Sam as it usually is the other way around, but I thought Dean could use some love. I hope you all enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Prompt-Dean gets a cold/flu that leaves him congested for weeks. Sam watches him get sicker and more tired until he (Sam) has had enough.

So when Dean is passed out in the passenger seat Sam drives him somehwere where the sea air will help his lungs and forces him to take a vacation/break.

 

 

    Congested snores filled the Impala as it rolled over the vacant highway. It was almost midnight when Dean and Sam wrapped up a case near Bentle Creek, Louisiana. It had been a simple ghoul hunt where the creatures had drug their prey near the stream to eat or had taken fishermen that regularly fished there or by the surrounding bayous. While it was very straightforward, it had been complicated by Dean.

 

    The problem was that Dean had been sick for the better half of a month even before that. It had started out as a simple head cold, which should've been easy enough for Dean to fight off. Unfortunately, their lives didn't align with the conditions meant for recuperating from any illness. Dean's diet combined with lack of sleep and stress meant the simple cold that started out as coughs and the sniffles began to settle deep within Dean's chest until it left him choking up bits of phlegm with every cough and thick, milky mucus making it impossible for him to breathe through his nose.

 

    They had then traveled from Nebraska to Arizona on a werewolf case. Those long nights in the strangely frigid nights in the desert had turned it into bronchitis on top of a sinus infection. Sam had forced Dean to stop in at a clinic where they had given him a prescription for some antibiotics and ordered him to rest. Dean had practically laughed in his face until Sam stepped in to diffuse the situation. Dean had stormed out, practically spitting at Sam as they walked back to the Impala. After the doctor’s visit, they finished up the case and now were driving aimlessly. Dean had thought there was a case in Arkansas, but Sam wasn't so sure.

 

    Sam had struggled to persuade Dean to let him drive so that he could get some rest. Dean had finally passed out in the passenger seat, jaw gaped open since he couldn't breathe though his nose even after he had spent almost five continuous minutes trying to blow his nose to no avail. His face was pressed against the window, body wedged tightly against the door. His jacket was laid over his shoulders and Sam had found an old blanket in the trunk that he insisted Dean use. He had only been sleeping for about two hours, but it was still the most that Dean had slept uninterrupted in the past three weeks.

 

    They needed a break. Sam couldn't remember the last time that he and Dean had a vacation. Hunting didn't exactly give them a break and neither one were overly fond of asking for one. However, Sam knew that it was time for them to at least take a little time off for Dean to recuperate. It certainly wasn't going to happen on another hunt or crammed in the passenger side of the Impala. No, Dean needed an actual nice motel and days of nothing to look forward to or people to save.

 

    Sam had read somewhere that ocean air helped those that were congested and helped them breathe easier by loosening the congestion. They weren't that far from Florida and Sam had heard about the incredible beaches there. Sam couldn't remember the last time they had ventured to Florida was and he was sure anytime they had been there, it was to work a case. At least this way Dean may finally get the time to relax. It was just getting him there that was the problem.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

    Dean awoke a half an hour later to realize he had no idea where he was. Alarm pulsed through him until he felt the familiar rumble under his feet and darkness pressing around them except for the two shards of light extending from the Impala's headlights.

 

    "You good?"

 

    Dean craned his head around to see Sam gazing at him with hazel eyes round with concern.

 

    Dean looked away before he could be caught in the tractor beam of Sam's 'puppy dog eyes'. Sam always got all weepy whenever he thought Dean was sick or injured with him powerless to do anything.

 

    Dean waved him off, quickly bringing his hand back to raise a fist to his mouth. "M'fine." The eldest Winchester began to cough, deep grating hack that ripped from his lungs abruptly.

 

    "Uh huh. Last I checked fine people don't hack up a lung," Sam reported dryly.

 

    Dean composed himself to the best of his ability, tightness spreading through his aching chest muscles. The back of his head hit the headrest softly, eyes closing tightly to ward off the waves of nausea rolling through him. "Not hacking up a lung. Spit just went down the wrong pipe," retorted Dean smugly.

 

    Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh really? Well, if only you didn't sound like you were talking with cotton balls stuffed up your nose, I may actually believe you."

 

    "Shut up." Dean raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose uncomfortably, face contorting in disgust. "Bitch."

 

    "Jerk."

 

    Silence passed between them until Dean's sniffling finally broke it. There were few things that Sam hated more than insistent sniffling. That was also one of Dean's favorite things to do when he was sick was sniffle since he hated blowing his nose. Sam never quite understood it, but he did know that he wasn't going to be able to tolerate Dean like this for much longer. His patience was wearing thin.

 

    "Dean, blow your nose," Sam ordered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

 

    Dean looked over to his brother with bleary eyes. "What?"

 

    "The sniffling, man. We talked about this. Just blow your nose and you won't sniffle so damn much," Sam muttered fiercely.

 

    Dean grumbled under his breath about Sam being annoying and a dick, but Sam elected to ignore it. The eldest hunter reached into the glovebox until he found a crumpled up napkin that Dean didn’t even remember from what fast food drive-thru it had come from. He rubbed it under the undersides of his nostrils, brows knit high on his forehead. The rough material did nothing to help with his raw and sore nose, especially when Dean wiped his nose dry with fierce swipes. He then blew his nose into the napkin, crumpling it and tucking it into his pocket for later use.

   

    "Happy," Dean spat.

 

    Sam gave a definitive nod. "Much." He watched as Dean leaned back into the passenger seat, coughing weakly toward the door and away from Sam. He wasn't quite covering his mouth, but it was better than aiming the other way. "How are you really feeling?"

 

    Dean shrugged, legs stretching out stiffly in front of him. "I told you that I'm fine." Dean suddenly trailed off with his nostrils flaring, breath wildly hitching. His eyes watered while his chest heaved with each desperate breath. Quickly, Dean lifted the blanket toward his face, crashing forward sharply.

 

    "ItchsHew! ItchsSHew!" Dean paused, mouth going slack and face scrunching up to see if his nose craved anymore release. Dean was just about to lay back when he snapped forward once again, just as sudden as the first time around. "ItchsSHew! IthcsSHew! IthcsSHew!"

 

    Each sneeze tore from Dean harshly, leaving him struggling to gear up for the next one. Sam grimaced at the painful sounding sneezes, patting at his pockets to recall if he had prepared for this. He always knew when Dean was sick, even when he tried to hide it, and often tried to prepare for it as he had known his brother continued to do for him even though he was in his twenties instead of a little kid. Sam nearly shouted in relief when his fingers brushed a small pack of tissues he had shoved into his jacket pocket when they stopped at the last gas station.

 

    "Here," Sam offered, throwing the tissues into Dean's lap. "They might work better than that blanket."

 

    Dean grabbed the tissues, but only after using the corner of the blanket to rub at his runny nose. "The blanket works ten times better, Sam. Clearly you’ve never tried it."

 

    "Yeah, because I actually act like a human being, Dean," Sam flashed right back. This car ride was turning into one of the worst that Sam could remember in recent memory.

 

    Dean muttered something in mockery before grabbing the small pack briskly. He tore it open and grabbed four tissues, layering them together. He brought them up to his nose and gave a hearty blow, brows high and knit together and body shuddering the effort. Dean mopped the tissues upward against his nose before tucking them into his pocket for later. He'd be damned if he was about to throw used snot rags all over his beloved Baby.

 

    "Now, where are we going?" Dean leaned back, snuffling. Despite just blowing his nose, he still felt incredibly stuffed up.

 

    "Florida?"

 

    Dean's head snapped around. "Florida? There's no case in Florida."

 

    "That's right, Dean, there's not. Do you know what we're doing instead of working a case? We're actually going to take a much needed vacation," Sam shot back.

 

    Dean threw his hands into the air in frustration. "There's no time for a vacation, Sam. We don't take vacations. We're hunters. The most vacation we get is at the bar or strip club during a case. We don't go out looking for one and we don't travel hundreds of miles out of our way."

   

    Sam was barely listening to his brother bitch and moan. He was too focused on the still congested garble and wheeze that gripped Dean's lungs. This had gone on long enough in Sam's mind. Dean could complain all he wanted to, but Sam was the one in the driver's seat. He was going to control where they went without Dean's input no matter what his brother said. Sometimes Sam had to look after Dean just as Dean would always look after him. Dean was just more stubborn about accepting help than Sam was.

 

    "Sam, are you listening to me," Dean snarled, immediately breaking into a coughing fit.

 

    Sam shrugged, reaching over under his seat and found a half drank bottle of water. He tossed it over in his brother's direction with Dean catching it with one hand. He unscrewed the lid and brought it up to his lips to take a few tantalizing gulps. It soothed his throat and quieted the cough to a slight rumble deep within his chest. The fit left him breathless and aching, longing for the sweet bliss of sleep.

 

    "Get some rest, Dean. This isn't an argument you're going to win. May as well accept it and move on," Sam suggested.

 

    Dean grimaced, shifting lower in the seat agitatedly. "Only because you're being a mother hen about this." He fought to keep his eyes open as he talked, words evading him in his muddled mind. His head leaned against the cool window of the Impala in an effort to soothe his raging headache. His sinuses throbbed all the way through to his cheek bones and into his ears. It had been a long time since he had felt this awful.

 

    "Someone's got to look after you," Sam muttered once he as sure Dean was asleep and couldn't hear him.

 

    The younger Winchester leaned forward to turn on the radio and turned it on low, preparing for the rest of the drive to Florida.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

    Sam parked the Impala at the edge of the secluded beach that he had found. He wasn't even sure where they were, but it was still a beach and there was no one around. That meant it would be the perfect destination for them to hang out without being spotted and interrupted.

 

    Reaching over, Sam jostled Dean's shoulders in an attempt to wake his brother. "Dean. Dean!"

   

    Dean immediately sat up straight, feverish eyes wide in alarm. "Where's the danger," he questioned, reaching into his pocket for a long knife that he always kept tucked there on car rides.

 

    Sam stretched out his hand and gingerly laid it down on Dean's trembling one, forcing the knife down. "Easy, Dean. We're just here."

 

    "Where," Dean rasped, voice hoarse from sleeping.

 

    Sam handed Dean the bottle of water that he had drank from earlier, motioning with the sandy dune in front of them that tampered off into the calm blue sea in front of them. "The beach."

 

    "The beach? Why the hell are we at the b-beach." Dean's voice began to tamper off at the end, eyes blinking spastically while his breathing hitched. His wrist was lifted to his nose in an effort to stem of the impending sneeze, breath already quickening an a helplessly ticklish expression etched on his face.

 

    All Sam could do was sit back patiently and enjoy the spectacle that Dean was about to make of himself.

 

    "IthcSHew! ItcshSHew! ItchsHew!" The first three came in rapid fire succession, each one tearing from Dean's throat horribly. Dean gave a tired cough, gearing up for the next bout. "ItchsHEw! ItchsHEw! ItchsHEw!" Dean blinked his eyes quickly in the aftermath, tears rolling down his cheeks from the effort it took to breathe and sneeze at the same time.

 

    "Bless you," Sam offered softly, knowing how much Dean loathed the common saying after he sneezed.

 

    Dean gave a snuffle, choking back thick amounts of mucus. "T-Tissue," he begged timidly.

 

    Sam pulled out the pack of tissues from his pocket that Dean had thrown at him earlier in frustration. He almost dangled them in front of his brother's face until Dean snatched them up with a quick grab. He pivoted away from Sam, tearing into the pack hungrily. He forced the tissues up to his nose and blew. It sounded like a trumpet under water and didn't move nearly the amount of congestion Dean had been hoping for. Yet, when he tried to blow more, his chest throbbed and forced coughs to bubble the surface from his already revolting throat. It seemed like he couldn't win with his body.

 

    "Ugh, I cand't breathe," Dean huffed out, finally stating how truly awful he felt.

 

    Sam's eyes glowed in sympathy, a frown etched on his face. "C'mon. I know something that will help." Sam reached over to push open his door, climbing out quickly with legs stretching until his ankles cracked. He walked around to Dean's side just as his brother was struggling out of the car. Dean swayed on his feet, nearly pitching forward.

 

    Luckily, Sam was there with outstretched arms ready to catch him before he could hit the ground. "Easy." Sam rested one hand on his brother's chest and the other on the small of his back to keep him upright. He cough feel Dean's muscles flexing under his hands while his chest quivered with each shuddering breath forced from Dean's parted lips. "I don't like the sound of that."

 

    "Yeah, well, I dond't like the feel of id," flashed Dean back, nostrils glistening with moisture.

 

    Sam ignored him. He set Dean against the car, taking a tiny step back to make sure Dean wasn't going to fall over. When Sam was certain his brother wasn't an immediate threat to himself, he reached into the back and pulled out the old blanket. He threaded it around Dean's shoulders, tightening it around him. He patted Dean's chest, watching the goosebumps travel up Dean's arms.

 

    "You’re cold," Sam assessed.

 

    Dean glowed fiercely. "Bidte be."

 

    Sam rolled his eyes once again, though he didn't take Dean’s sour mood personally. Dean was always a pain in the ass when he was sick.

 

    “Do you want to get closer to the water," Sam offered with a nod to the rolling waves that stretched in front of them.

 

    "Dno."

 

    "Do you want to sit on the beach?"

 

    "Dno."

 

    "What do you want to do, Dean?"

 

    "Find a job."

 

    Sam struggled to keep his voice calm. "I know, but that's not going to happen until you start to feel better. You can hardly breathe, man. I'm just trying to help."

 

    Hearing the defeated note in Sam's tone had Dean lowering his guard, forcing his agitation aside. He knew that Sam was only trying his best, just as Dean would've done for him. Both Winchesters were impossible when sick and Dean was well aware of it. He supposed the least he could do was try to enjoy it. After all, the slowly setting sun casting golden light on the gently lapping waves was relaxing and beautiful. Dean couldn't recall if they had ever gone to the beach before, and if they had, it was certainly not nearly this memorable.

 

    "Id is pretty," Dean announced after a few moments.

 

    Sam brightened as he turned to look at his brother, attempting not to look too hopeful. "You really think so?"

 

    Dean gave a tiny nod. "Yeah, it's peaceful too. You don't get this kind of view from some motel in Idaho."

 

    Sam shook his head, smiling. "No, you don't."

 

    The two lapsed into silence once more, but this time it was a welcome one. Seagulls sounded overhead and merged with the sound of the rolling waves against the beach. Sam found himself watching a crab scramble across the sand, leaving tiny ticks as it shuffled sideways. Somewhere in the distance, a dolphin jumped from the water, disappearing back into the waves.

 

    After a half an hour, Dean lifted his head and sniffed. For the first time in weeks, he was able to pull air into his nose without feeling like he was drowning in mucus. He immediately brightened, turning to face Sam. "I can breathe!"

 

    "Really?"

 

    "Really! It's just like.....IthcsHew!" Dean's head snapped into the raised blanket that he ducked into. He rubbed the corner against his runny nose, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "Er, sorry. Didn't feel that one coming. ItchsHew! ItchsHew!" Dean shook his head angrily at his body’s deliberate defiance. "Or those."

 

    "It's the sea air. I read it helps with congestion, but it does have that effect," Sam joked.

 

    Dean rubbed his nose clean with the corner of the blanket, lifting his head to stare back at the water. "Worth it in my eyes." He cleared his throat with a tiny cough. "Although, next time I think I have an even better place for us to vacation at."

 

    "Really? What's that?"

 

    "Vegas!"

 

    Sam rolled his eyes. The last thing that they needed was to be somewhere for Dean to really hustle and then get them kicked out of a casino. "Yeah, I think I'll pass on that one."

 

    "Bitch."

 

    "Jerk."

 

    The two brothers leaned back against the car, staring out at the water. It was moments like this, even with one of them sick and miserable, everything just felt right.

 

The End

[Seeker]

Excellent, I love Sam taking charge."I'm in the driver's seat, you do what I want!"

[blueprint]

I miss Supernatural so this was like balm to my soul, and so cute. ☺💙

[Sandi]

Loved this story. I like that sam is taking charge and that they finally got to go to the beach 🥰

 

[Cambria]

Really good 👍